The Mirror
by Clickster
Summary: The feeling of fear, sadness, and loss that kept others away, dominated the air. He walked to the far side of the room and stared into the mirror where the image of her face was still captured. He tenderly brushed off the dust that covered the surface.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine.

**Chapter One**

The horse animatedly trotted over the crest of the hill. His rider slowed him to a stop at the top and observed the scene before him. In front of them was the palace, behind them were the woods, and beyond the palace was the capital city. It was a breath taking view that the rider loved, but today it didn't help. He shook his head, deciding that dwelling on it wouldn't help. From the woods he could hear his men yelling angrily at him for abandoning them. _Oh well, they'll get over it, _he thought as he cued his mount to continue down the hill.

When they reached the bottom of the incline, he urged his horse into a canter. They entered the courtyard and the horse slowed to a sitting trot. When they got near the stables, a groom was waiting for him.

"A month already, eh, Prince Miroku?" the man remarked good naturedly as he bowed his head and lightly gripped the horse's reins. He turned his attention to the equine and asked, "And what of you, Lilly Bloom? Did you take good care of His Highness?"

The prince leaned forward and patted the big, bay gelding on the neck. "Course he did, steady as ever."

"No disrespect, but that is the worst name for this big bruiser here, 'Lilly Bloom.' You ought to change his name," the man commented.  
  
The younger one merely smiled and said, "Of course it's the most unfitting name. What started out as a joke as become...a tribute. Everyone else just calls him 'Drum.'" He dismounted.

The groom led Drum off; normally the prince would've cared for his own mount but whenever he returned the staff made sure to do everything for him and absolutely refused to let him lift a finger. Although he was a sociable man, he was glad to be left alone. Underneath his cheery expression was the sense of defeat that always fell upon him when he came home.

Miroku slipped into the palace, unnoticed, skilled after long years of practice. The young man climbed up two flights of stairs and walked down a long hallway. He stopped at the last door and with a sigh, entered. The feeling of fear, sadness, and loss that kept others away, dominated the air. He walked to the far side of the room and stared into the mirror where the image of her face was still captured. He tenderly brushed off the dust that covered the surface. Ever since that day, the servants feared coming into this room, and he wouldn't force them to.

He stared out at the image, her eyes looking back at him and full of fright. "I'm sorry, Sango..." he whispered. At first he had wondered why her likeness had remained on the mirror, but it had soon become apparent that it was to remind him that he had let her down. He gazed into the depths of the mirror for a few more minutes before he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

That night Miroku decided to skip dinner and instead went straight to bed as soon as the sun had set. Nobody bothered to try to convince him to eat; they all knew that they would be politely declined and dismissed.

When the young man fell asleep that night, he didn't dream, he simply remembered.

He was seven and she was five. He really didn't want to be there, but his father was holding his hand, not letting the boy escape. He could really care less if it was custom for the future heirs of the two kingdoms to meet, he didn't want to spend the day being nice to some stupid princess.

_Finally all of the dull talk between each dignitary ended and the two children were pushed towards each other. The girl glared at him like it was his fault she was there, so he stuck his tongue out at her when no one was looking. _

"_Sango..." an older man said, staring down at her and making "Go on!" gestures with his hands. Finally the little girl sighed and said, _

"_I'm very pleased to meet you, Prince Miroku."_

_The young prince had to be elbowed into replying, "I'm very pleased to meet you too, Princess Sango." Now for the worst part, he had to kiss her hand. He hesitantly reached forward and grabbed it and then slowly brought it to his lips. _

_Without warning Sango punched him in the face and shouted, "Don't kiss me! You're gross!" She frantically rubbed her hand on her dress. "Ugh!" _

_The two men began to apologize diplomatically as servants who had witnessed the meeting tried not to laugh. _

A/N:Yes, well, I know I should really be working on my other stories instead of writing new ones, but whatever. So this one is based loosely on a really sad dream, or at least I thought it was sad and it put me in a down mood for the rest of the day, I had over the summer. Originally I planned to use Inu Yasha and Kagome, but Sango and Miroku are my favorite characters so I decided to use them instead. By the way, the title might change, I just came up with this one at the spur of the moment...Anyways, please review.


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: **No.

**Chapter Two**

Fear. It surged through her body, making her heart explode into a frenzy of beatings. It was strong enough to leave a bad taste in her mouth and she could smell it. It was interesting, being able to smell her own fear. But she didn't have time to dwell on it. The source of her fright was gaining, and the adrenaline that resulted gave her one more brief burst of speed.

The extra energy had been enough to carry her up to the stream where she splashed through, knowing that they wouldn't be able to catch her scent when she emerged on the other side.

Once on the opposite bank, she scurried clumsily up an old, winding, and knotty oak tree. When she reached a sturdy, thick branch she paused to catch her breath and to watch her pursuers mill about under her in confusion.

She didn't have to wait long; five huge hounds arrived in seconds. They plunged their long noses to the ground, tossed their heads up in the air in confusion, and bayed helplessly. They scoured the ground in a forlorn manner and a few were even brave enough to wade into the water, but it was to no avail. They could not find their quarry and when their master arrived they looked up at him sheepishly.

"Aye lads, did that pretty little thing give you the slip?" he asked them. They thumped their tails softly on the ground. "If she could outsmart you lot, then she 'as earned herself her getaway. Shame though..." he consoled his pack as he ambled away and they happily followed.

She stayed in the tree for fifteen minutes. She had learned the hard way that some would hang around instead of leaving right away. Finally she cautiously climbed down the tree. When she reached the ground again she began to look around for any signs of prey. The night was falling and most of her food sources would be retiring soon.

In the end she caught a squirrel. She'd been hoping for a nice rabbit, but they had all scurried back to their warrens as soon as the sun's rays had begun to dim and only the unlucky creature's finding of a nut had been his downfall. She chewed on him with a sigh. Squirrels were all fluff. She then trotted off to the hollow she called her own and curled up in an attempt to sleep. Though she had survived another day, she felt no victory. Instead she was filled with a tension that made her muscles ache. Any day now the terrible clamoring of the summons would begin and she'd have to go back to the man she loathed.

-

She woke up in the middle of the night with the distant beat of a gong sounding in her ears. She ignored it until it became unbearable. The longer she resisted its calls, the louder and more painful they became.

She slipped out of her den and some part of her knew instinctively where to go. She began to run, trying to escape the terrible beatings in her ears. It was more a mental clamor then a physical one, but still some part of her mind was convinced that if she moved fast enough that she could evade its calls that made her eardrums thrum with pain and threatened to rupture them.

She continued to run long into the night, and arrived at a manor just before dawn. She had no idea where she was, part of the awful summoning spell, and as soon as she stepped onto the property she collapsed. She struggled to fight off the unconsciousness that ebbed at her vision, but just like the terrible gong sounds, she was forced to obey it. Her eyes rolled back just as a man appeared before her, smiling as she spasmed on the ground. The last thing he heard before she passed out was, "Oh my vixen, I do love it when you struggle."

-

She came to in a room she'd awoken in many times before. It was completely circular, with one window that was less than a foot long too high up on the wall to be useful and a thick, solid wood door that had no handle on the inside and could be locked from the outside. There was something different this time though, the huge mattress she was laying on was bare of sheets, the wall hangings had been removed, and the small table was completely bare. It was then that she realized that she was completely naked, except for metal choker, bracelets, and anklets. Pure hatred spiced with contempt surged through her blood and she reached for a delicate glass vase on the nightstand filled with roses to hurl at the door when she heard the lock being tampered with.

When the door opened she chucked the pretty ornament at the man who'd greeted her when she'd arrived. He caught it and chuckled coldly at her. "My what a temper you have, Sango," he said as he entered, shutting the door behind him, and then replaced the flowers on the nightstand. Sango struck at him and with a flick of his eye the power in the metal flared to life, electrocuting her. A strangled scream escaped from her throat and then finally the pain ceased.

He gazed at her with icy eyes as she panted. "That's no way to act if you want this," he told her, holding up a cloak. Her rage at him had made her temporarily forget that she was completely exposed. No matter how much Sango detested him, she had still been raised as a proper lady and blushed. He laughed at her and observed, "You know, when your face blushes so does the rest of you." She glared vehemently at him, but she would not throw herself on him and cry for the clothing or fall to her knees and plead for it like he wanted her to.

Sango spoke for the first time, her voice ragged with disuse, and said, "I hate you, Naraku."

He laughed once more at her, finding great amusement within the statement. "Hate all you want, but I _own _you."

"Bastard," she snapped at him. Naraku snickered at her. Sango spat on his face in return. He backhanded her then, and stars shot across her vision, but she would not faint for him.

He pinned her to the bed, her arms clamped over her head, and her eyes widened in fear. She wouldn't put it past him to rape her, and was surprised he hadn't already. She struggled but it was like trying to hold back a waterfall, he was too strong. "I have been quite abiding towards you, but you will learn respect for your master. You are mine. I can torture you with the merest thought. I can force your body to contort and transform into anything I want. I have conquered your body in a way that makes sex pale in comparison. I am beginning to tire of these little games we play, Sango," he whispered into her ear. Suddenly his tongue darted into her ear and she shuddered with horror and disgust. "If it weren't for the fact that I don't believe in sharing women, I would take you right here," Naraku whispered.

He released his hold on her and set the cloak on the end of the bed. Naraku looked back at her and said, "Your dinner will be here shortly." The door opened for him and he was gone. When she was sure he was gone, Sango allowed the tears to fall that she had been holding back.

**A/N: **Yes, well. I know some of you reading this are thinking, "WTF is going on!" I'm not telling you yet. You're going to have to wait and see. I just noticed that I have a nasty habit of stalling terribly on finally introducing what character I'm using. I suppose it's a bad attempt to make things suspenseful. Anywhoo, I'm done yammering, and sorry for the long wait, so please read and review.


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